An All-Star among us: Eureka's Betty Chinn honored at Midsummer Classic in Anaheim

Millions of viewers across the nation were introduced to Eureka humanitarian Betty Chinn before the Major League Baseball All-Star Game Tuesday in Anaheim. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez even got a hug.

Chinn was one of the 30 honorees selected as People Magazine's All-Stars Among Us, and was honored during pregame festivities for the Midsummer Classic in Anaheim Tuesday. Last year more than 14.6 million people watched the All-Star Game on television, meaning Chinn was introduced to quite an audience in being honored for the work she has done over the last 25 years caring for Humboldt County's homeless and less fortunate.

Nominated by a member of the local community, Chinn was selected from thousands of nominees, but initially declined to take part in the campaign. She eventually had a change of heart, believing that the All-Stars Among Us campaign and the accompanying attention could help forward her goals of promoting homeless issues and, ultimately, of building Betty's House, a service center for the homeless.

Chinn's vision for the house is to have a central location where her clients can eat and stay dry and warm, while at the same time connecting with a variety of social services housed under a single roof.

The All-Stars Among Us campaign drew thousands of nominees, which were eventually whittled down to 90 -- three for each major league baseball team. Fans were then allowed to vote for their favorites, and the votes were eventually tallied to select one honoree for each team. After more than 1.7 million votes were cast, Chinn was selected to represent the San Francisco Giants in baseball's 81st All-Star game.

In being selected, Chinn joined the likes of Lauren Brook-Lim, who started a kids foundation to help survivors of sexual abuse and was selected to represent the Florida Marlins; Eric Greitens, the St. Louis Cardinals representative who was wounded in the Iraq war and co-founded "The Mission Continues" to provide wounded veterans with opportunities to continue serving their country; and Peter Brady, selected to represent the New York Yankees, who started volunteering as a part-time handyman for seniors in his church community and went on to found the Handy Dandy Handy Man Ministry.

During a video played live at Anaheim stadium -- and on national television -- prior to Tuesday's game, the All-Stars Among Us were introduced by a handful of celebrities, who insisted the ordinary people doing extraordinary things were the real stars on the field Tuesday night.

"As we search for role models, sometimes we forget that the role model is right in front of us," said actor Matthew McConaughey.

Chinn, one of only about a half dozen honorees to be individually highlighted in the video, was introduced by actress Salma Hayek, perhaps best known for her role in the movie "Frida," which drew an Academy Award nomination for best actress. Hayek talked about Chinn's tireless dedication, about how she wakes up every day at 4 a.m. to begin her work and about how she is cherished by those she serves.

"These people know that, in Betty, they have a friend and a caretaker for life," Hayek said.

After the video ended, the camera cut to the All-Stars Among Us, who were standing on the stadium infield, while a 400-foot American flag was stretched across the outfield. All the all-stars -- players and honorees -- then had a moment to mingle, and that, Chinn said, is when Rodriguez thanked her for what she does and gave her a hug.

"It's sort of like dreaming," Chinn said of the experience, adding that seeing the massive flag was powerful. "It's so emotional."

In a phone interview before Tuesday's big game, Chinn said she was having a wonderful time in Anaheim, and was glad to be bringing homeless issues to a national stage.

"It's really amazing. Really," Chinn said, adding that, while she's not a big baseball fan, she had a great time meeting the All Stars, a selection of the best baseball players alive. "They are very, very, very nice, hard-working kids."

For more information on the All-Stars Among Us campaign, visit www.peopleall stars.com. For more information on Chinn and her work, visit www.bettychinn.org.